Storytime with Kray

The travelers reach the Emerald City and meet the Guardian of the Gates. He locks green spectacles onto them, claiming the city’s brightness would overwhelm unprotected eyes. They enter the dazzling city and are taken to the palace. They learn Oz will see them, but only one visitor per day.

The Tin Woodman saves a mouse from a wildcat, and she turns out to be the Queen of the Field Mice. The Scarecrow asks for help saving the Lion from the poppy field. The mice use a wooden truck and teamwork to pull the Lion to safety. The chapter shows that even the smallest allies can change the outcome.

The Lion tows the raft to shore, and a stork helps rescue the stranded Scarecrow. The group wanders into a field of poppies whose scent puts Dorothy and Toto to sleep. The Lion also collapses from the fumes, too heavy to carry. The Scarecrow and Tin Woodman manage to drag Dorothy out, but the Lion remains trapped in the field.

They camp in the forest and struggle to find food, but keep moving. A huge ditch blocks the road, so the Lion helps everyone cross with powerful leaps. Later they face deadly Kalidahs and escape by dropping them into the gorge using a chopped tree bridge. They build a raft to cross a river, but the current sweeps them away and strands the Scarecrow on a pole.

A Lion tries to intimidate them but quickly reveals he is afraid of everything. Dorothy calls him out, and he admits he wants courage more than anything. He joins the group, hoping Oz will fix what he thinks is broken in him. The travelers now have four different wishes tied to one destination.

The travelers discover a Tin Woodman rusted solid in the woods. Dorothy oils his joints and brings him back to life. He tells his story and explains he wants a heart so he can love again. He joins the trip to Oz, and the group becomes three.

Dorothy finds a Scarecrow stuck on a pole and helps him down. He explains he wants brains and believes Oz can help him. Dorothy invites him to travel with her to the Emerald City. Their journey becomes a shared mission instead of a solo struggle.

Dorothy meets the Munchkins and the Good Witch of the North. She learns her house killed the Wicked Witch of the East, freeing the Munchkins from slavery. Dorothy receives the Silver Shoes and is told to follow the Yellow Brick Road to Oz. Her goal becomes simple, reach the Emerald City and ask to go home.

Dorothy lives on a harsh Kansas farm with Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, and Toto. A cyclone hits and Dorothy gets trapped inside the house as it’s lifted into the sky. After a terrifying ride, the house drops into a strange land. Dorothy realizes she has been carried far from home.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum | 1900 When a cyclone sweeps young Dorothy and her dog Toto from their gray Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz, she accidentally kills the Wicked Witch of the East and is sent on a journey down the yellow brick road to find the Great Wizard Oz, who she hopes can send her home. Along the way she befriends a Scarecrow longing for brains, a Tin Woodman l...

The next day, Ichabod is gone, and the only clues are his hat, his ruined saddle, and a smashed pumpkin by the creek, which convinces most locals he was taken by the Horseman. Over time, rumors spread that Ichabod actually survived, left town in shame, and eventually became a lawyer and politician, while Brom marries Katrina and laughs a little too hard at the pumpkin detail. The story ends with a...

On the ride home, Ichabod’s imagination spirals as he passes landmarks tied to eerie legends, and every sound feels like a threat. Near a haunted bridge, a shadowy rider appears, matches his pace, and is revealed to be the Headless Horseman carrying his head on the saddle. Ichabod flees in terror, barely holding on as the chase barrels toward the church bridge, where the Horseman hurls his “head”...

Ichabod is invited to a big gathering at the Van Tassel farm, where he arrives in his best attempt at gentlemanly style and enjoys the feast like it might be his future property. The party includes dancing, flirting, and plenty of local bragging, but the night turns darker when everyone gathers to trade ghost stories. The Headless Horseman dominates the conversation, and Ichabod leaves the party l...

Brom Bones is introduced as the strong, cocky local favorite, famous for rough humor and reckless horsemanship, and he does not like Ichabod sniffing around Katrina. Ichabod avoids direct confrontation because he knows he would be folded like laundry in a fight, so Brom shifts to relentless pranks and public humiliation. The rivalry turns into a steady campaign of intimidation, with Ichabod growin...

Ichabod becomes infatuated with Katrina Van Tassel, the pretty, wealthy daughter of a successful Dutch farmer, and his attraction is not helped by the sight of her family’s overflowing food and comforts. He imagines winning Katrina and inheriting the farm, picturing a future of prosperity far beyond his poor schoolmaster life. The problem is that Katrina already has plenty of admirers, and the big...

Outside the classroom, Ichabod survives by staying with different farm families, making himself useful with chores, gossip, and music lessons. He thrives on attention, especially from the local women, and builds his reputation as a “learned” man by reading spooky books and soaking up every ghost story he can find. The more he feeds on superstition, the more the valley’s eerie atmosphere gets into...

Ichabod Crane arrives in Sleepy Hollow as the local schoolmaster, and Irving paints him as a tall, lanky, awkward figure who looks like a scarecrow brought to life. He runs a rough little schoolhouse and believes strongly in discipline, but he is not purely cruel, just self-important and convinced he is doing what is necessary. Despite his oddness, he settles into the community and becomes part of...

Sleepy Hollow is introduced as a quiet valley near the Hudson River, steeped in old Dutch traditions and an atmosphere so dreamy it makes people more superstitious just by living there. The area is filled with local legends, haunted spots, strange sounds, and eerie sightings, all feeding the sense that the land is bewitched. The most feared presence is the Headless Horseman, said to be the ghost o...

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving | 1820 Written during a time when American writing was still treated like the weird cousin at the fancy European dinner table, Washington Irving helped change that with polished, spooky folklore set in real places. Sleepy Hollow drops us into a dreamy Hudson River valley where old legends linger, and where one superstitious schoolmaster is about to...

Send us Fan Mail Alice is called as a witness in the trial, accidentally upsetting the jury-box due to her growing size. She denies any knowledge of the stolen tarts, leading to absurd exchanges with the King, who attempts to apply nonsensical rules related to her height. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Alice attends a chaotic trial where the Knave of Hearts is accused of stealing the Queen's tarts. The King acts as a bumbling judge, and the first witness, the Hatter, provides nonsensical testimony that further adds to the confusion in the courtroom. During the proceedings, Alice continues to grow larger, causing disruptions. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail The Mock Turtle vividly describes the peculiar "Lobster Quadrille," a dance involving lobsters being thrown into the sea. He and the Gryphon then demonstrate the dance and sing a whimsical song about a whiting. Alice attempts to tell them her own adventures, but her version becomes increasingly nonsensical, much to the confusion and impatience of her listeners. Support t...

Send us Fan Mail Alice meets the Duchess, who is surprisingly amiable and constantly spouts morals. The Queen then dispatches Alice with a Gryphon to find the Mock Turtle. The Mock Turtle, a melancholic creature, recounts his bizarre education in the sea, including peculiar subjects like "Reeling and Writhing" and "Uglification," taught by various strange masters.  Support the...

Send us Fan Mail Alice finds her way into the Queen's garden where she observes card-gardeners painting white roses red to avoid the Queen's wrath. The Queen of Hearts arrives with a grand procession, and an absurd game of croquet ensues, played with live flamingos as mallets and hedgehogs as balls, while the Queen constantly threatens to behead anyone she dislikes.  Support the show

Send a text Alice joins a perpetual tea-party hosted by the March Hare and the Hatter, with a sleepy Dormouse. The conversation is filled with illogical riddles and nonsensical remarks, frustrating Alice with their rudeness and the constant changing of places. She eventually leaves in disgust, deciding it's the stupidest tea-party she has ever attended. Support the show